BATU ARANG, SELANGOR

27 FEB 2016

A weekend that is supposed to be a trip out hunting diamond trevally got called off due to the monsoon. Normally some of us will go for a quick fix of the usual SW pond or gone out fishing on the other side of the peninsular.

Instead of those two options, I called up a good friend of me Fadil and head out to Batu Arang for some Peacock Bass and Snake head action. Batu Arang is a former coal mining town in Selangor, Malaysia. Apart from coal, Batu Arang was also known for its brick manufacturing. Today it no longer supplies coal and holds no significant role. I guess with all the mining activity that were abandon in pass has formed small “man made lakes” that are now home to Toman and Peacock Bass.

We started our day around 11ish in the morning, the journey took us around 1 hour to reach the destination. It was a private land with a lake in the middle of it. For info, Batu Arang is known for its giant snake heads and peacock bass fishing spot and apparently this private land is one of the recently discovered spots.

Ready to go! Boat on the road!

Equipment and arsenal? We brought our trusty 10-16lb and 8-16lb bait casting setup for the trip. Lures? For Giant Snakeheads, 3 meter diving crank bait and small sized sinking pencil for the peacock.

By noon, we all set and head out for snake head hunting. Aluminum boat is great for this sort of outing. Lightweight and sturdy makes is an anglers perfect companion when exploring urban fishing spot like the lakes in Batu Arang. Easily carried in the field makes it a great choice as compared to fiberglass models and inflatables.

As we reach the first spot, we can see quite a number of snake heads head up to the surface for a fresh air but when we cast the crankbait toward them they seem not bothered to snatch the lure away.

After almost one hour of sight casting (its the technique we call to catch surfacing snakeheads), we head out to the other side of the pond where the peacocks are hiding.

Few cast, Fadil caught a good specimen. It was a 50cm sized Peacock. They could not resist the fluttering action made by the Chartreuse colored sinking pencil. The peacock bass killer lure, every other cast he is hooked on to a peacock bass. Well I tried too but none for me.

Arrive at the spot

Scenery of the lake

Great way to start the day, Fadil with a 50cm Peacock Bass!

Sinking pencil, chartreuse color scheme seems to be the perfect lure for Peacock Bass at this lake 🙂

Second of the day, Fadil with another Peacock Bass. Again on the same lure 🙂

We continue to move around the lake looking for Giant Snakeheads and peacocks but failed. Towards the end of the day, we head back to the snakehead spot that we went earlier. We saw mama snakeheads taking their babies up to the surface and straight cast those crankbaits again towards them and again no bite at all. Then the rain falls for awhile and started to think its time to head home. But Fadil says we continue fishing for abit then we call it a day.

The rain stops and the fish comes back to the surface. Mama snakeheads continue taking their juvies for a swim and we continue casting. After countless cast made this time the mama chased Fadil’s crankbait but didn’t go all the way. Then my crankbait follow thru and suddenly I can feel the crankbait got snatched by the mama snake head. The fish gives one hell of a run before giving up. When the fish starts to ease off and swimming slowly just below the water surface, I was mesmerized by it. What a lovely fish.!

Perfect hook! First toman of the year! Evergreen Combat Crank!

Giant Snakehead, Toman of Batu Arang, Selangor. A great way to end the day 🙂

Giant Snakehead is well known for its brute strength and to able to land a good size Toman will definitely put a smile in your face. After a few shots, it was safely revived and release so that one day I can catch more of this superior Freshwater Game Species. That was the last fish of the day, after a great short evening outing in Batu Arang, finally its time to call it day.

Thank you

Proper handling, revived then release is a great practice to ensure a sustainable fishing ground.

Author: Asrazi Shamsinar

An avid angler with much love towards technical / tactical fishing. Loves pond fishing whenever not out in the wild or at sea. Looking for place or friend to go out fishing? Just look up for me sure glad to help out.